NHMRC Ideas Grants
| Status | CLOSED CHANGE TO IDEAS THIS ROUND NHMRC has allocated an additional $7 million to this round to support innovative dementia research projects led by early to mid-career investigators Dementia Research Dementia research is a priority research area for NHMRC. More than 450,000 Australians are living with dementia and it is Australia's second leading cause of death. Innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of dementia are essential for Australia's social and economic wellbeing. As outlined in the 2019 Strategic Roadmap for Dementia Research and Translation, with innovations in modern neuroscience research, it has become possible to explore the complexity of the brain more fully using novel, high precision approaches, such as gene editing, stem cell models and whole genome analysis. New imaging technologies and data capabilities are bringing further innovations to the field, revolutionising research in neurodegeneration. Despite this, discovering treatments for dementia requires a much deeper understanding of the biology of how dementia develops than currently available. The Ideas Grants 2023 grant opportunity includes an additional allocation of $7 million, which is available to support dementia research led by early to mid-career investigators. This additional priority funding aims to encourage highly innovative research and to retain, and continue to build, Australia’s dementia research capacity, particularly early to mid-career researchers, following the Australian Government’s $200 million Boosting Dementia Research Initiative and other dementia specific opportunities made available by NHMRC. Applications will be eligible to be considered for this additional dementia specific funding if: * the application satisfies all Ideas Grants 2023 eligibility criteria (see Section 4 (GUIDELINES) for more detail) * the application is submitted by an early to mid-career researcher (less than or equal to 10 years post-PhD) as CIA (applicable career disruptions must be detailed within the applicant’s Sapphire profile) * the applicant selects the relevant tick box within the Sapphire online application form declaring they wish to be considered for dementia-specific funding (see section 6.2 of Appendix E (GUIDELINES)) * the proposed research advances the field of research in any of the recognised forms of dementia. |
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| Changes to DVCR Co-Funding | For NHMRC grants applicants will now be required to submit a formal DVCR Co-funding request. The formal DVCR Co-funding request replaces the previous support of the Strategic Research Fund (SRF), which was managed directly between your Faculty Research Office and the DVCR Office and was not directly visible to academics as internal co-funding for their successful grants. The DVCR Co-funding is to support MQ researchers to successfully complete their proposed NHMRC projects by providing up to 20% co-funding on funds to remain at Macquarie. The goal is for the DVCR Co-funding is to facilitate MQ applicants in providing a ‘top-up’ of NHMRC salary costs (PSP’s), which are lower than MQ equivalent salary rates. These changes align the principles of DVCR Co-funding with other external funding schemes and assist the University in rationalising the allocation of internal funding used to leverage competitive, external funding opportunities. As Macquarie researchers continue to excel in the NHMRC funding scheme, we need to find a mechanism to ensure all successful NHMRC grants can be supported. As context, since 2015, our application volume for NHMRC funding has nearly doubled year on year. We know that health and medical researchers at Macquarie will be more active than ever in the coming years in applying for NHMRC funding to support their research, hence the need to make changes to meet the growing volume of awards. |
| Aim | The objective of the Ideas Grant scheme is to support innovative research projects addressing a specific question(s). The expected outcomes are:
The scheme will provide particular opportunities for early and mid-career researchers. It is expected that the CIA will have the scientific leadership and skills to achieve the proposed project aims. An Ideas Grant can be requested for between one and five years depending on the proposal. |
| Assessment Criteria | Applications for Ideas Grants 2019 are assessed by peers on the extent to which the application meets the scheme objectives. Applications will be assessed against the Assessment Criteria listed below.
Research Quality: NHMRC defines ‘Research Quality’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as the quality of the project aims and the proposed research plan. Innovation and Creativity: NHMRC defines ‘Innovation and Creativity’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as health and medical research that seeks to challenge and shift current paradigms and/or have a major impact on a health research area through one or more studies that creatively:
Significance: NHMRC defines ‘Significance’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as the extent to which the outcomes and outputs will result in advancements to the research or health area. Capability: NHMRC defines ‘Capability’ for the Ideas Grant scheme as the appropriateness of the applicant team and their expertise, the resources and access to additional personnel necessary to achieve the project aims. Capability is not an assessment of traditional track record elements, such as number of publications, grants held, or conference invitations. The CIA must demonstrate their ability to lead the project, including managing the project’s resources, personnel, budget and administrative requirements, in order to execute the project. Associate Investigators (AIs) can be included to strengthen the overall technical capability of the team (e.g. specialists such as statisticians), but they must not be essential for the leadership of the project. Consideration should also be given to the gender balance and development of new researchers within the applicant team. |
| Funding | The provisional funding allocation for the Ideas Grants 2020 up to $250 million. NHMRC’s Research Committee annually reviews and recommends indicative budget amounts to be awarded across individual funding schemes. The amount of funding for an Ideas Grant will be based on assessment of the requested budget. Applications must clearly justify the requested duration and budget and how they will support the proposed outcomes of the research. Peer Reviewers will consider this information and may reduce the duration and/or budget to ensure the research aims and objectives can be achieved while ensuring value with money. |
| Key Dates | For applications submitted in 2023: Please note that our grant review processes have changed. Strategic reviews are optional, while compliance and eligibility checks are mandatory. If you wish to receive a strategic review of your NHMRC application, you must book via the online booking calendar. Compliance and eligibility reviews for your NHMRC application is mandatory and you must book via the online booking calendar. There are sufficient booking times available for all applicants, but we recommend booking early to ensure you have an ample choice of dates. These are estimated dates from previous NHMRC rounds but are subject to change
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| Resources | Note: NHMRC locates all their Scheme documentation in GrantConnect. You will be required to set-up a username and password to access. Notification Of Intent (NOI) NHMRC Information Cancer Funding Information CERTIFICATIONS WORKSHOPS NO WORKSHOP WILL BE HELD IN 2023 NHMRC Ideas Grants - Developing your application
NHMRC Ideas Grant Funding Scheme Building your Budget for the NHMRC Clinical Trials and Cohorts Studies (CTCS) Grant and Ideas Grant Schemes |
| Contacts | Grant Development Team |